Posts from ‘September, 2009’

While at the Viceroy Miami, McBee and I had the concierge arrange for a speed boat to take us and a couple of South Beach friends on a little tour of some of the swankiest water front enclaves – Star and Palm Island etc. – reminded me a lot of a wonderful Capri boating expedition we took last year. Certainly getting on the water was quite nice, but we didn’t see any properties that really peaked our interest, and we happily returned to the Viceroy to enjoy an afternoon of lounging at the magnificent monumental pool (said to be the largest infinity edge pool in Florida) – If you are in the mood to rest, relax, and rejuvenate in a luxurious and peaceful setting, then this is a must visit location – our friends were so taken by the splendor of the place that they actually opted to spend the afternoon with us by the pool rather than return to the beach – I think that speaks volumes for the Viceroy Miami. Of course, I’d like to think that our fine company added a little extra incentive for them to stay as well!

The Club 50 Lounge.

I’m photographed (top) posing at the Viceroy’s Club 50 lobby. Towering hand painted cranes on silk wallpaper, an exquisite geometric marble floor, a stone center table set with an eclectic grouping of stone objet d’art, and a crowning starburst light fixture all conspire to make the most perfectly surreal effect – one cannot help but have a sense of wonder and expectation as one makes one’s way upwards towards the spectacular views high above where a couple of Club 50 pre-dinner, pre-opera drinks and the Miami city skyline mix in the most heavenly way – I still have Mojitos dancing in my head! Once primed, there are a myriad of fine restaurants off Brickell Avenue. Special mention simply must go to The River seafood and oyster bar – everything we’ve had there is absolutely scrumptious, and it’s just a few blocks from the hotel!

As you might have gathered from yesterday’s post, I was quite taken by the Viceroy’s lobby, and I’m happy to say things just get better as one continues through the hotel – the hallways, elevator vestibules are all stunning and beautifully decorated in Wearstler’s signature high style.

We were shown a few room choices and opted for a Junior Suite, which is a bit of a misnomer as our room was really quite grand.

A fine East Asian watercolor crane placed above a supremely comfortable bed defines the elegance of the room, and a soothing palette of celadon with bold accents of black and teal, plucked from this work, spills out into the room and its accessories. I particularly love the velvety celedon carpet, and Wearstler’s fantastically eclectic selection of furniture. There is no shortage of natural light here, and delicate matchstick floor to ceiling shades diffuse the ever streaming Miami light in the most dreamy way, creating a welcome sense of warmth and privacy.

Marble floor detail.

I think special mention has to go to the palatial marble bathroom we were treated to with its very substantial shower and uncommonly deep tub – and yes I did have the most relaxing soak there! – Included an interesting detail of the marble floor – of course this is only one crazy beautiful sampling amongst the many many miles of marble you’ll find throughout the Viceroy.

I’m pictured seated in a Louis XV style chair upholstered in teal leather deciding whether to go to the Coconut Grove or perhaps to the Venetian swimming pool in Coral Gables – maybe a lie-down by the pool there would be the perfect place to further contemplate the many enticing options before me.

Just back from a weekend jaunt with Scott McBee to the prestigious Brickell Avenue Viceroy Miami. We chose the Viceroy as it was a bit of a change from our usual South Beach destination, and I was eager to see what my favorite Kelly Wearstler had accomplished with the design.

As some of you may recall, much of the inspiration behind our WIJW blog came to me from my encounter with Wearstler’s tome, Domicilium Decoratus, and its many rich couture portraits of Wearstler set against her former home, Hillcrest. This book really is one of the most brilliantly beautiful acts of promotion I’ve ever encountered – inspirational on so many levels – it helped me to imagine a personal travel, fashion, food, art and design forum that would be self-promoting yet escape the potential pitfalls of boring pretension by bringing readers a widely inclusive, authentic, and hopefully enjoyable experience!

The Viceroy Miami has got to be one of Wearstler’s best design works yet – Here in the voluminous lobby one is immediately struck by her confident use of scale, opulent color, and copious use of luxury design materials like lacquered parchment, stone and marble, silk, agate, crystal, etc etc. etc. – Simply stunning.

Set within Miami’s lively downtown, the Viceroy offers a huge selection of options for dining, shopping, and culture – so yes, South Beach is there if you need it (just ten minutes away), but vacationing at this downtown location is really just such a refreshing and welcome change, and makes the Viceroy the perfect subject for the cosmopolitan adventure I’ll be sharing on WIJW in the next few posts! I hope you will enjoy!

“JAMES ANDREW IS THE ULTIMATE DANDY”… “GATSBY-MEETS-GUCCI STYLE…”

WIJW IS WILD ABOUT

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